WC 2003 - 'Shane & I played similar roles in motivating our teams'

Johannesburg: Jonty Rhodes slipped into the shadows of international cricket on Friday, mourning the loss of himself as well as Shane Warne from the World Cup.Rhodes, forced out of the South African squad through injury, admitted it was ironic that he and the legendary Australian leg-spinner Warne were now missing as both players were seen as key men in the tournament."I'm disappointed that I've had to pull out, and I'm sure Shane is too," Rhodes said. "I think in many ways, Shane and I played similar roles in motivating our teams. We both tried to add value on and off the field. But the World Cup is not about individual players," he told a South African news agency."You just have to think of some of the exciting matches there have been already, like our game against the West Indies, to see that there is plenty of interest in this World Cup, apart from the individuals."Rhodes first made international headlines in 1992, when he dived to dismiss Pakistan's Inzamam ul-Haq in a World Cup match in Australia. The image of Rhodes' dive has been used on five Rand coins minted to promote the World Cup in South Africa, and it has also been immortalised on the weather vane at the ground in Pietermaritzburg - his home town.Rhodes broke a bone in his right hand while fielding against Kenya in Potchefstroom on Wednesday and has been replaced in the squad by Graeme Smith.